Stylus for talking-machines.



W. P. DUN LANY.

STYLUS FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APII.26. I916.

1 21 L5, I Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

are near anion.

WILLIAM LP. DUN LANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 SEARS, ROEBUCK AND COMPANY, 'OF CHICAGO. ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF N YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1911?.

Application filed April 26, 1916. Serial No. 93,610.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. DU N IJANY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stylifor Talking-Machines, of which the following is a specification. i

In the class of talking machines using removable styli, steel needles have heretofore usually been employed. It has been found that such needles wear rapidly due to the abrasion of the record, and that flat faces are formed on the needles, thereby creating sharp edges. In order to prevent damage to the records it is necessary to change these steel needles each time after playing a record, this necessity arising especially from the fact that if a needle having the mentioned sharp edges were employed with another record, such edges might act to cut the walls of the groove .and thereby injurethe record and destroy the fineness of .the'tone reproduced thereby.

It is one of the objects of my invention to produce a stylus which is free from the disadvantages inherent in steel needles and which may be used over and over again. I ha-v discovered that a'stylus composed of iridium, or in which the record-engaging portion is iridium, may be used over and over again without affecting the shape of the record-engaging portion and without forming any sharp edges or other irregularities whichtwould injure records.

Commercial sound records as at present manufactured fall into two classes, in one of which the sound-creatinundulations are of lateral extent, being lo cgted in the sides of the grooves; and in th other class the grooves being of the hill-and-dale type, i. e. in which the undulations are located in the bottom of the groove.

When a stylus embodying my invention is to be used with a-record having the undulations in the lateral walls of the sound groove,

the record-engaging portion of the stylus may be made more or less pointed or tapering. For. use with the other or hill-anddale class of records, the record engaging portion of the stylus may be made. rounded and may comprise a substantially spherical tip portion of iridium. i

It is a further object of my invention to produce, as a new article of manufacture, a

.of a record tablet.

stylus adapted to be used in connection with either of the two classes of records, and which is arranged to be removably mounted in the socket or holder of a sound box so that for use with records having lateral undulations the tapered portion of the stylus may be put into service; and where a record of the hill-and-dale class is to be played, the stylus may be mounted in a different position to present a more or less rounded or spherical portion to cooperate with the record groove. With such a, stylus all classes of records may be played on one instrument.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a sound box which may be of any desired construction, and a stylus embodying my invention mounted in said sound boxl Fig. 2 is an elevation-of a stylus, on a greatly enlarged scale, provided with two record-engaging portions to adapt the stylus for use with either class of records. Fig. 3 is a fragmental elevation on a still largerscale illustrating a portion of a stylus adapted to be used on records with laterallycut grooves, and Fig. 4 is a similar view of a portion of a. stylus adapted for use with certain records of the hill-andsdale type.

lVhile a stylus embodying my invention may be constructed entirely of iridium, it is 'more desirable, for practical reasons, to form the body portion of other material and pro-- vide only the tip or record-engaging portion of iridium. The body portion is preferably made of a metal having a relatively low fusing point, as, for example, phosphor bronze, and the iridium tip may be secured to the body in any suitable way, as by fusing the I body thereto. v

. In the drawings, a sound box is illustrated by the reference numeral 5, 6 being the stylus-receiving socket or holder thereof. The

.body-of the stylus is indicated by the numera1 7, and the line 8 designates the face The record-engaging portion of the stylus which is adapted for laterally-cut record grooves is shown at 9 and the portion adapted for certain records of the hill-and-dale type at 10. In the use of the stylus, one end thereof is inserted and secured in the holder 6, leaving exposed the end which is adapted to cooperate with the kind of record to be played.

It will be understood that, if desired, a stylus having but one record-engaging portion might be permanently mounted in the talking machine. A stylus provided With a record-engaging portion composed of iridium may beused indefinitely, the recordengaging portion being practically indepeated use. The abrasion. of the record on the stylus does not wear the latter and therefore the stylus never acquires rough or sharpened portions by which records might 10 be injured;

- While I prefer to use pilre iridium for styli, it should be understood that I do not wish to be limited to iridium, but aim to cover in the appended claims all of the alloys 15 and related metals, as, for example, combistructible and incapable of injury by re I claim .as my invention: I 20- 1. A stylus for talking machines composed of iridium.

2. A stylus for talking machines partially composed of iridium.

3. A stylus for talking machines haying 25v iridium.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM P. DUN LANY.

a record-engaging portion. composed of 

